


A Safe Haven For Those Who Dream of Darkness

by leinthalexandra



Series: Children of Erebor [1]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Durin Family, Fluff, Gen, Protective Siblings, Sibling Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-29
Updated: 2013-03-29
Packaged: 2017-12-06 21:17:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/740256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leinthalexandra/pseuds/leinthalexandra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The youngest child of Durin’s line was cursed with nightmares.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Safe Haven For Those Who Dream of Darkness

The youngest child of Durin’s line was cursed with nightmares, so real and vivid that every night, the sounds of her screams would wake her parents and her brothers. They would rush to her side only to find her sitting up in bed, or standing on top of it, shrieking and sobbing and tearing at her hair, yet still fast asleep until her mother gently woke her. When Dís came back to herself, every part of her seemed weighted down by heavy stones. She rarely recalled any of the dreams that plagued her mind, although the ones she did remember would haunt her even while awake. Freyja would rock her daughter in her arms— _“Mother, Mother, Mother,”_  Dís would sob, her voice breaking on every word—and she stroked Dís’ hair until she sleep again, and it worked, for a time.

It went on for months, and eventually Thorin and Frerin took to sleeping beside their sister to help ease her sleep, to keep her calm and soothe her when the nightmares became too much. Her screams quieted and her sobs ceased when Thorin would hold her, or when Frerin would stay up to hold her hand. Over the years Dís’ dreams were no longer the dreadful nightmares from before, but the three still slept as close together as they could, curled up under the warm blankets and furs piled high on the bed in the cold winter nights.

Even when they grew older and their parents sent them off to bed separately, more often than not they found Thorin, Frerin, and Dís asleep in the same bed in a tangle of limbs. Dis would wake in the middle of the night, only to sneak into Frerin’s room and shake him till he finally opened his eyes; the both of them would clamber into their elder brother’s bed, where he too would be lying awake, unable to sleep without his siblings next to him (though he would never admit to it). Dís tucked herself in between her brothers as she’d done when she was young, her smaller form held safely in their arms.

~  
It had been years since she’d had a nightmare like this. Dís dreamed of fire, smoke, and ash; she dreamed of a monster more terrifying than anything she’d ever seen or read about in the myths and legends from her childhood books, an abomination conjured by her sleeping mind. She dreamed of running through the ruined halls of Erebor chased by a creature more fearsome than Durin’s Bane, the bodies of her family and her friends everywhere she looked, limp as rag dolls as they stared with wide, unseeing eyes into nothingness.

She dreamed of echoed screams as she gasped for breath, her eyes burned, her feet tripping over broken stones; she turned around, trying frantically to scramble to her feet, but the monster loomed above her, wreathed in flame as its great wings blew smoke and shadow through the hall. All she could see was red, bright and bloody red, and she screamed as she felt her flesh burning, the scorching, searing pain consuming every part of her—

Dís gasped as her eyes opened, her skin burning as though still on fire. Her heart raced and she clutched at the front of her nightdress to steady herself and make her mind realize that she was fine, she was alive and awake and unharmed. She took deep, steady breaths, feeling her heartbeat slow and the panic subside, then wiped away the sweat on her brow. Dís closed her eyes as she lay back down on her pillow, unclenching her fists and forcing her muscles to relax. But sleep didn’t come to her; much as she tried, she only tossed and turned from one side to the other, face buried on her pillow, then staring up at the ceiling.

Clambering out of bed, Dís sneaked to her door, moving as quietly as she could towards her brothers’ room. She’d become rather adept at the trick of opening doors without making a sound. Frerin and Thorin were both fast asleep, one of them—likely Frerin—snoring lightly as Dís entered the room.

“Frerin,” she whispered, going over to him and shaking his shoulder. “Frerin, wake up.”

He grumbled in protest as he raised his head, cracking open one eye. “Dís, what…?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Of course you couldn’t.” He was still half-asleep, and looked about ready to turn over and ignore her.

Dís tugged at his sleeve in spite of his mumbled protest. “I had a nightmare, Frerin.”

That got his attention; he propped himself up on his elbows and opened his eyes enough that she could see concern in his gaze. “All right, fine.” Frerin dragged himself out from the warmth of his bed and shivered; Dís crossed the room to Thorin’s bed and climbed up to fall on top of his back. Thorin grunted but didn’t wake, even as Frerin joined them and huddled under the blankets. Dís shook Thorin’s shoulder—if it worked for one brother, it should work for the other.

“Thorin, get up.”

Frerin mumbled, “If you don’t, she’ll just keep at it until you do.”

“What do you want, Dís?” Thorin finally said.

“She can’t sleep,” Frerin said. “Tell her a story so we can all get some peace and quiet.”

“All right. There was once a very naughty dwarrow-lass who kept waking her brothers. She was stolen by goblins, never to be seen again.”

Dís hit him on the back. “That’s a terrible story. And there aren’t any goblins around here, anyway.” She burrowed under the blankets between Thorin and Frerin; despite their protests, the two of them rolled over so that they could each put an arm around their sister.

“I remembered the nightmare this time,” she said quietly. “Something was chasing me—something awful, I don’t know… I think it looked like a dragon, but it was all ash and shadow and flame—”

Thorin shushed her, stroking her hair and brushing it out of her face. Frerin kissed her brow and held her tightly. “Don’t think about it, Dís,” he said. “You’re safe, and there’s nothing coming after you.” Frerin grinned a little. “If it does, we can just send Thorin to face it while you and I run for our lives.”

She couldn’t help laughing, both at Frerin’s words and Thorin hitting him in the shoulder. “Ow! I was only joking!”

“I doubt that.” Though he clearly tried to sound serious, Dís knew her brother well enough to hear the amusement in his tone. “But he’s right, Dís. You’re safe, we promise.”

With a nod, she said, “I know.” And Dís slowly drifted back into sleep, the warmth of her brothers’ arms around her keeping her safe from any creatures that might try to haunt her dreams.


End file.
